Yesterday, I had a party at my home. A kid asked me for the internet password and I gave it to him, but he started doing things I specifically asked him not to.

Since June, ISPs are supposed to be monitoring web usage, for torrenting and illegal streaming, and I don’t want this person to access these websites. If I don’t get access to his computer, how can I block either his access entirely and how can I block just passwords by keywords (Ex. torrent, anime streaming, etc.)?

Alrale Green

March 6, 2013 at 2:39 am

You need to install a web filter on the computer and block certain sites by url or keywords. http://goo.gl/QePcl

Rama moorthy

November 11, 2012 at 5:53 pm

you can block the websites simply by using avast! free anti-virus software site blocking facility.. or else you can also use some other software..

Boni Oloff

November 6, 2012 at 7:44 am

Kasperky has Parental Control, that can control the website based on keyword. You should try it. I use it.

You can also enable your firewall and configure its settings to allow only authorized sites (that you know are safe)

Douglas Mutay

November 6, 2012 at 10:23 am

Yes, I use webfilter at home and it's very good addon.

Harish Jonnalagadda

November 6, 2012 at 1:43 pm

Yeah me too. A very useful add-on.

Abba Jee

November 27, 2012 at 2:00 pm

i would suggest Lisa Santika Onggrid suggestion :)

Rajaa Chowdhury

November 6, 2012 at 3:14 am

Put a firewall and content filtering in place, where you can define keywords and block those urls. There are lot of free solutions available on the internet for home users. Just search Google and choose the solution you like.

Jim Chambers

November 6, 2012 at 2:06 am

Your want to control what someone does on their own computer? Please clarify.

Set up your router to use OpenDNS and configure it to block the types of material you don't wish to have on your network. You can also reconfigure your router settings to block the most popular ports for torrenting applications. Yet another option is to configure your router with a guest account that you allow others to use that is has far more restrictions than your normal account. By doing this, you can limit guests to using HTTP/HTTPS (for web browsing), SMTP/POP3/IMAP (for email), etc. By not leaving any excess ports open for outbound traffic (normal router configuration), you are stopping them from using anything that is not pre-approved by you for them to do.

Jan Fritsch

November 5, 2012 at 11:58 pm

You can always prevent internet access by changing the password or when using WiFi by blocking/allowing only certain MAC addresses.

As for filtering it all depends on how "safe" you want your network to be. Almost every router nowadays allows you to set basic access restrictions like blocking certain websites (URL) and keywords. It's usually in the same section where you can restrict access to certain times of the day.

An alternative would be to use OpenDNS which allows you to block certain content by not translating the domain name into an IP address. The problem with that is that it will not prevent torrents already added or downloaded and it can easily be circumvented by using statis DNS settings,http://www.opendns.com

Another option is getting an appliance like a ZyWALL which is also capable to do most (if not all) of it like blocking websites, keywords or certain services.http://www.zyxel.com

The most reliable option is also the one that requires the most effort (financial and/or setup). The best it can get is a Layer 7 filter which can do all of it, block keywords, block websites and block certain types of packets e.g. those marked identified as torrent.

One heads-up I can give you however is that you will never be able to fully block torrent unless you gain access to the device running it. Most torrent clients support encryption which already makes it hard to block. They also manage to bypass firewalls even if all but only selected ports are blocked.